Number of optimistic Filipinos going down – SWS survey

MORE Filipinos have started to lose their optimism about the future, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed on Thursday.

Results of the poll, which were first published in BusinessWorld on Thursday, showed that net personal optimism score went down by 11 points to a “high” +24 (optimistic minus pessimistic), compared to the “very high” +35 (42 percent optimistic, 7 percent pessimistic) recorded in November.

The survey firm said that 35 percent of respondents believe that their lives will improve after one year, compared to 11 percent who said that it will not.

The poll, however, said that those who are bullish about their personal lives and the economy still significantly outnumber “defeatists,” at least for now.

The respondents’ outlook on how the economy will fare in the year ahead also deteriorated, plunging 26 points to a mere +4 (27 percent “will be better” minus 24 percent “will be worse”) from +30 (39 percent minus 8 percent) in November.

The polling agency said that when respondents were asked about how their lives have changed in the past 12 months, 36 percent answered that it had worsened while 26 percent replied the opposite, resulting in a net gainers-losers score of –13—eight points lower than November’s -5.

Areas and classes
SWS said that the net personal optimism score was also down nationwide except in the Visayas, where it rose by three points to a “very high” +33.

In Balance of Luzon (rest of Luzon without Metro Manila), net personal optimism declined by 21 points to a “fair” +17, 11 points to a still “very high” +30 in Metro Manila, and seven points to a “high” +25 in Mindanao.

Optimism among Filipinos dropped in all socioeconomic classes, with the score down by 31 points to “high”+21 in class ABC, by 15 points to “fair” +17 in class E, and by eight points to “high” +27 in class D.

According to the survey firm, the net economic optimism score also dropped in all areas and classes.

In Balance of Luzon, a 34-point-drop to -3 was recorded, while in Metro Manila a slightly lower 27-point plunge to +14 was noted.

In Mindanao, it was down 21 points to +9 and 18 points to +5 in the Visayas.

Earlier, the SWS survey on hunger said that 20.5 percent of Filipinos or about 4.1 million families experience hunger while at least 10.4 million families consider themselves poor.

The number of these hungry and poor Filipinos was higher compared to 3.4 million families and 8.1 million families, respectively, recorded in November.

The poll, which was conducted from March 4 to 7, 2011, used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, the Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

It had a margin of error of plus minus 3 percent for national percentages and plus minus 6 percent for area percentages.

SWS said that its the latest survey was non-commissioned and was done on its own initiative.–Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Reporter, Manila Times